In a blender, add the heavy cream, mango pulp and condensed milk. Whir up until smooth. Add nuts but save some for garnish. Pour into desired number of moulds. Freeze for at least 3 hours. Once frozen, remove dessert from moulds and plate. Sprinkle with ground cardamom and add remaining pistachio. Enjoy!

Skip the reservations and try something exotic this tonight, right in your own home. Use our step-by-step guide to create a perfect meal and indulge your favorite guy or gal with a evening they will never forget.

In a bowl mix together the yogurt, vegetable oil, tandoori paste and garlic. Add the diced chicken, cover and marinate in the refrigerator for approximately 2 hours (overnight would be ideal).

Cook the chicken in a preheated oven 400°F for 25-30 mins or until cooked. Turn the chicken throughout cooking.

For the Sauce:

Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy based pan and fry the diced onions for 5 minutes. Add the tandoori paste and continue to cook for a further 2 minutes. Sprinkle in some water if the paste begins to stick.

Add the chopped tomatoes and butter. Add the water and sugar, cover and allow to cook for 20 minutes.

Add the cooked chicken to this sauce and cook for a few more minutes until the chicken is well coated in the sauce and warmed through. Stir in the cream and check the seasoning.

“The Taj Mahal rises above the banks of the river like a solitary tear suspended on the cheek of time.”
― Rabindranath Tagore

Epic Love Story- The Taj Mahal

India is often times associated more with arranged marriages and dowries than stories of romance and undying love. The story of the Taj Mahal is one that softens the heart of even the most jaded and cynical. It is the story of two people that has stood the test of time that displays the ultimate and perfect type of love that we all aim to attain- the type of love that is rare and as precious as a fine jewel.

It begins with a boy, Shah Jahan, the son of Jehangir, the fourth Mughal emperor of India. One day while Shah Jahan was wandering through the city, he took notice of a beautiful young girl selling various jewels in the local bazaar. From that moment he was smitten and after meeting her, the lovestruck boy rushed to tell his father that he had found the woman he wanted to marry. Her name was Arjumand Banu Begum. Five years later, they were married. When Shah Jahan became Emporer several years later, he named his wife Mumtaz Mahal, meaning “Jewel of the Palace”.

All was well and the two had a wonderful life together until Mumtaz died during complications during childbirth of her 14th child. As she lay dying, Shah Jahan confessed his undying love towards her and promised that as long as he lived, he would never marry again. And on top of that, he would build a grand mausoleum for her.

The poor man was so distraught by the untimely death of his beloved and spent years in mourning. Finally, when he had mustered enough strength, Shah Jahan got to work on building the world’s most magnificent monument. It took 22 years to build and 22,000 workers to build this monument. When the lovestruck Shah Jahan dies many years later, he was buried in a tomb right next to his wife. This structure is now known to us as the Taj Mahal, and we count it one of the 7 Wonders of the World.

This Valentine’s Day let’s be inspired by the beauty and majesty of love. The depths of love that can be reached by two people are limitless and if you have a special person if your life to love, you have a rare and precious gift indeed.

The word “Diwali” is a contraction of “Deepavali”, originating from the Sanskrit word Dīpāvalī (दीपावली) which can be translated to “Row of Lights”. Hence the Diwali Festival is also called the “Festival of Lights“. Diwali is the name for the festival in North-India. In South-India the festival is called “Deepavali”.

About Diwali

Diwali celebrates to victory of the Good over the Evil and Light over Darkness. Is has a major religious significance for Hindus, Sikhs and Jains alike – not only in India, but also for Indians living abroad. In the western (gregorian) calendar, Diwali falls on a day in October or November every year – just after the monsoon season in India. The exact date varies and is being calculated based on the Hindu Luni-Solar calendar (according to the positions of the Sun and the Moon). The day of Diwali falls on Ashvina Amavasya (the lunar day of new moon) on 15 Ashvin (Hindu month). This date also marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year, and many businesses in India starting a new accounting year on the Diwali holiday.

About Diwali

Diwali is a festival over 5 days. On the first day (Dhanteras) people pray to Goddess Laxmi for prosperity and wealth. The second day (Choti Diwali) is also known as ‘Small Diwali’, ‘Naraka Chaturdashi’ or ‘Kali Chaudas’ in some states. According to the legend, Lord Kirshna killed the evil daemon Narakasura on this day. People worship Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Rama. The third day is the actual day of Diwali. Many devotees visit their Temples for worshipping Lakshmi, Goddess of beauty, wealth and wisdom with Laxmi Poojas and also pray to Ganesh, the ‘Lord of Beginnings’ and ‘Remover of Obstacles’. When Aarti is performed, oil lamps with a cotton wick are placed on a Puja Thali and offered to the deities, praising the deity by singing wonderful Aarti songs. At night people light up little oil lamps called Diyas, Dipa Lights or Ghee Lamps and place them around their houses. They hang colorful lanterns and fairy lights, enjoying firework displays or blasting firecrackers. The forth day (Padwa) is 1 Kartika in the Hindu calendar and is also known as Govardhan Puja or Annakoot. It is said that Krishna defeated the god of rain and the heavens Indra on that day. He lifted Mount Govardhana to save people’s life from the floods. On this day people cook mountains of food resembling Mount Govardhana. According to another legend followed in South-India, Vishnu defeated the demon-king Bali on this day. Finally the fifths and last day of Diwali is called ‘Bhaiduj’ (‘Bhai Dooj‘) also known as ‘Yama Dwitiya’. This is the day for brothers and sisters to strengthen their relationships. Just like Yami prayed for her brother Yama (God of Death), sisters are praying for their brother’s well-being on this day, and brothers give little gifts to their sisters in return.

On Diwali families gather and eating lots of foods and sweets. It is also common to send Diwali greeting cards to family members, relatives and friends. Recently however it is becoming more popular to send Diwali eCards or Diwali SMS. Diwali Mela (Fairs) take place not only in India, but in many countries in the world. Sellers of handicraft and artworks like to rent a booth on a Diwali Mela to offer their items for sale to the general public. The different locations and venues for this event can range from small community halls to the size of a whole stadium like in the case of the Diwali Mela 2012 in Dallas, Texas, USA in the Cotton Bowl Stadium (Date: Saturday, November 3rd, 2012/Time: 4pm to Midnight) with approx. 100,000 attendees.

Where is Diwali Being Celebrated?

Diwali Map

Deepavali and Diwali celebrations take place in many countries in the world. There is a large population of over 30 million Indians living outside of India in overseas countries due to migration or as guest workers and students. Those ‘Non-Resident Indians’ (NRI) and ‘Persons of Indian Origin’ (PIO) play an important role in many societies and enriching the cultural diversity of whole nations. The largest groups of non-resident Indians live in the USA, Canada, Nepal, Burma, Malaysia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi-Arabia, South-Africa and in the United Kingdom (UK). Depending on the origin of the majority of Indians, the festival in those countries is either Diwali (most immigrants from North-India, i.e. USA/Canada/UK) or Deepavali (most immigrants from South-India such as Tamils, i.e. Malaysia/Singapore).

You can find wonderful gifts and items to celebrate Diwali/Deepavali HERE.

Leptaden is an all natural ayurveda that is used to help stimulate lactation for pregnant women with a deficiency or absence of production of breast milk. Leptaden has various effects on the production of breast milk. It helps to stimulate, stabilize, and improves the quantity as well as quality of breast milk. There are two main ingredients of Leptaden. Jivanti, and Kamboji.

Jivanti is known by it’s botanical name as Leptadenia Reticulata. This is a branched twining shrub, with small flowers green-yellow. It grows mainly in Mauritius, Madagascar, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, India, and Malaysia. Within India it is found in parts of Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh. The part of the plant which is used is the root. This root provides many pharmacological actions beside being lactogenic. It also has estrogeniomimetic, hypertensive, vasodilator, spasmogenic, antibacterial, antimicrobial, and respiratory stimulant effects.

In Ayurveda, Jivanti helps to boost the energy level of the body. Extracts of the root has been used as an antibacterial and antifungal for common infections. The leaves and roots have been used for skin infectiosn such as ringworm, wounds, nose, and ear disorders.

The natural effects of Jivanti itself is very useful for the overall protective nature of this root during pregnancy.

Kamboji is a large shrub with the botanical name of Kirganelia reticulata. This plant can be found in low lying moist habitats in thickets and hedges along rivers in most of India.

In Ayurveda the plant has many medicinal properties. The leaves of the plant can be used as a diuretic and cooling effects in the form of a paste. The leaves can be used as a powder to promote healing of ulcers and boils. A juice made from the leaves of the plant has been used to relieve diarrhoea in infants. The fruit of the plant has been used as an astringent to the bowels, and as a purgative for treating diseases of the blood. Children are given a preparation of the root to treat asthma, coughs and catarrh.